


Helping Hand

by fangirl_squee



Series: homies help homies, always [25]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-11 14:23:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/799710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marius gets incredibly stressed out over the possibility of losing his scholarship, Enjolras is better at comforting than he thinks he is, and Grantaire just glad Marius is okay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Helping Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This one is set after Call, although you don't need to have read that to understand this one.

 

Enjolras really wishes the campus library was open twenty four hours, at least during weeks when it feels as though all his class work is due at once. They’re coming up to mid semester break, and he’d really like to just get things done so he can start focussing on the upcoming rally.

 

He turns the last corner of the stacks and runs into someone (or, more accurately, someone runs into him), spilling an armful of books and papers over the floor.

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I – Enjolras! Hello! Sorry!” says Marius.

 

Enjolras blinks at him in surprise. Marius isn’t usually fastidious in his appearance, but right now he looks like an absolute _wreck_. He’s wearing an oversized jumper, the sleeves of it falling over his hands and the collar of a polo shirt half in-half out of the jumper neck, with faded jeans that have more than a few holes in them around the knees. His hair is sticking up at odd angles. Marius starts to pick up the books, as well as several energy drink cans have also rolled away from him. Enjolras can see his hands tremble slightly.

 

“Marius,” says Enjolras, as gently as he can manage, “are you all right?”

 

Marius lets out a weak laugh. “Me? Yes, completely fine, totally, _totally_ okay …”

 

His hands shudder as he attempts to pick up the loose papers, and they fall back down to the floor. Enjolras picks them up, pushing them inside the cover of one of the books.

 

“You know you can talk to me if anything’s wrong,” he says. He’s not sure what else to do. Despite their similar upbringing, he and Marius aren’t _close_ , and there is a reason Cosette does most of the PR for Les Amis.

 

“The library is closing _now_ ,” says one of the librarians, as she rushes by.

 

“Come on,” says Enjolras, “the café’s open for another half hour, we can go there for a bit, okay?”

 

Marius nods distractedly, reading through some of the loose pages. He digs a pen out of his pocket and scribbles something alongside it as they walk. Enjolras manages to get them to the café without dropping anything else, although they have a few near misses.

 

The café is mostly empty, a few stragglers studying or chatting quietly in groups. A few moments after they sit down, Marius looks up, startled.

 

“Oh, we’re here. I mean, I thought we were going to my car,” he stands, swaying slightly, “I have to go home, to get this finished. I mean, it’s at the word limit, but there’s so much more that I should be saying, and what I have down isn’t _right_ , and -”

 

Enjolras stands and puts a hand on Marius’ shoulder, pushing him gently back into his seat. “Marius, sit down before you fall down. You’re in no condition to drive.”

 

Marius looks like he might burst into tears, and he presses the heel of his hands into his eyes for a moment. “But I have to get this _right_ , Enjolras. If I get a low grade on this assignment it could throw off my whole grade curve.”

 

“Ambition is an excellent motivator,” says Enjolras carefully, “but you have to take care of yourself. I know it’s easy to get caught up, but –“

 

“No, you don’t get it, if my grades aren’t high enough I could lose my scholarship, and they’ll kick me out, and I’ll lose my job, and Grantaire will have to find another housemate, and I’ll just be a _total disappointment to everybody_.”

 

Marius sounds close to hysterical, but luckily being friends with Joly has prepared Enjolras for this. “Marius. Deep breaths okay, in and out.” Marius has gripped edge of one of his papers tight in his fist, crumpling it. “Do it Marius, in and out.” Once Marius has calmed a little bit, Enjolras says, “I didn’t know you were on scholarship.”

 

Marius smooths the edges of the page down, not meeting Enjolras’ eyes. His hands still have a slight tremble to them. “Yeah, my grandfather and I had a, um, slight disagreement about my future, so I kind of had to? I was really lucky to get it; he tried pretty hard to keep me off the list, so I would have to go back. I mean, he got me off the housing list, but I found Grantaire, and I found a job. Which is great, I mean, I’ve never had a job before, and working for my own money feels really good, you know? It’s not much, but I can live out my own life now.”

 

“Oh, I–“ Enjolras stops himself half-way. He’d always thought that Marius, being from the same old-money background as himself, would have been in the same position as him. Enjolras thinks of his own disapproving but loving parents, who helped out as much as he would let them. If Enjolras had enough time for a job between running Les Amis and his classwork, he would have gotten one to have a little more financial freedom, and he’s always assumed that’s what Marius’ job at the campus bookstore was. He’d never even considered it as a means of Marius’ survival.

 

“I’m sure your family could help out with school fees and things,” says Enjolras, “after all, family doesn’t work like a scholarship. They’re not going to cut you off if your grades aren’t perfect.”

 

Marius laughs a little at that, and the bitter tone of it reminds him of Grantaire. “No, you’re right; family doesn’t work like scholarship at all. I mean, I still _have_ a scholarship.” Enjolras’ confusion must show in his face, because Marius adds, “my grandfather told me that if I pursued my political science major with the intension of working for a non-profit, then he didn’t want any part of it. And to stop me giving any of my strange ideas to the rest of the family, he told them not to speak to me.”

 

The whole idea of that sounds insane to Enjolras. “And they just did what he said?”

 

Marius smiles, and the bitter edge to it seems strange on him. “Well, I can’t really blame them, he _is_ the head of the family, and when he dies it will be a big inheritance for whoever he likes the most.”

 

Enjolras almost asks about Marius’ parents, but his train of thought is interrupted by Marius’ incredibly loud ringtone. Marius fumbles to answer it, hitting the speakerphone button.

 

Grantaire’s voice sounds tinny over the speakers. “Oh thank god, I thought you’d died of a caffeine overdose or something. Where are you?”

 

Enjolras has never heard Grantaire sound so genuinely worried. He’s heard him sarcastic and snide as he interrupts Enjolras’ speeches, angry when arguing, cool and impassive when he wants to rile Enjolras, and Enjolras has even heard a laughing tone as he jokes with Courfeyrac about their various weekend exploits, but never has Enjolras heard Grantaire sound so concerned about another human being.

 

This is probably why Enjolras forgets his ingrained-since-childhood manners, and interrupts before Marius can speak. “He ran into me, literally, in the library.”

 

“Enjolras?”

 

“Yes,” says Marius, hands twitching at the papers, “he’s here, we’ve, um, been talking about my scholarship.”

 

Grantaire sighs, a rush of static in the speakers. “Marius, you’re going to do _fine_. Please come home and get some sleep.”

 

“I’m not tired,” protests Marius.

 

Enjolras can see the darkened shadows under his eyes. “I’ve got my car, I can drive him home.”

 

“I don’t need to –“ says Marius

 

“Thank you, Enjolras,” says Grantaire, over the top of him, “drag him bodily to the car if you have to. I’ll text you the address.”

 

Dragging Marius to his car turns out to be necessary anyway, because Marius is almost asleep standing up. While Enjolras looks at google maps for directions, Marius actually does fall asleep.

 

The ride back to Marius and Grantaire’s place in only about fifteen minutes but Marius stays solidly asleep the whole ride, head bumping a little against the window. Enjolras shakes him awake once they get there, and he blinks sleepily up at Enjolras.

 

“We’re here,” says Enjolras.

 

“Oh,” says Marius around a yawn, “thank you for the lift.”

 

He stumbles a little on the way to the door, and Enjolras catches him. He ends up half-carrying him the rest of the way, and Marius leans on his shoulder heavily as he waits for Grantaire to answer the door.

 

When Grantaire answers, his eyes go straight to Marius. “Still alive then?”

 

Marius’ eyes are half-lidded as he smiles at Grantaire. “Hey ‘taire. Can you edit my essay? I’m almost done.”

 

“How about we get you to bed, and then we’ll edit it after you have some actual sleep, okay?”

 

Marius’ eyes slide closed. “Mmkay, only a little nap though. Got lots to do.”

 

Grantaire reaches forward and tugs Marius, who slumps backwards into him. Grantaire steadies him, his hands solid on Marius’ shoulders. He looks at Enjolras, smiling tiredly.

 

 “Thanks for looking after him,” says Grantaire quietly to Enjolras, “he’s having kind of a rough week.”

 

“It was no problem. He seemed, um, unusually highly strung. Is he okay?”

 

Grantaire shifts Marius’ weight a little. “Yeah, he got a call earlier this week about his grade-point average or something; I think his grandfather’s been pulling strings again. He’s been, like, mainlining caffeine so he can work on his assignments twenty hours a day, totally ridiculous behaviour.”

 

“Do you, um, do you need a hand with getting him inside?” Enjolras has never felt so unsure of himself with Grantaire before.

 

Grantaire is already half-carrying Marius with practised ease. “Nah, I’m good. He’ll be okay after he gets some actual sleep. We’ll see you at the next Amis meeting.”

 

“Okay, see you then.”

 

Grantaire nods distractedly, kicking the door shut behind him. Enjolras drives home and bypasses working on his own assignments to go straight to bed. It’s a long time before he falls asleep, staring at the ceiling, and thinking of how Grantaire had supported Marius, gentle and sure.

 

 

(He makes a note to check on Marius during the next meeting, but Marius seems fine, laughing and smiling with Cosette when he arrives. After the meeting, he’s distracted by Courfeyrac’s questions about permits, and Grantaire and Marius leave before he gets a chance to speak with them.

 

“Here,” says Jehan, as he steers Courfeyrac away, “Grantaire left this for you.”

 

Enjolras unfolds it, and it’s a sketch of himself. A sketch of himself as a _knight_. It’s a little ridiculous, but he can’t stop the smile as it spreads across his face. He’s never seen any of Grantaire’s work before.

 

_Thanks for rescuing Marius the other day._

_\- R_ )

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone was curious, Marius' ringtone is a recording of Grantaire singing the chorus of 'Livin' On A Prayer'.
> 
>  
> 
> feedback is always loved and appreciated: fangirl-squee.tumblr.com/ask


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